Slate-cleaner



(No Model.) I

A. THURBER.

SLATE GLEANBR.

No. 473,033. Patented- Apr. 19, 1892.

UNITED STATES:

PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED THURBER, OF SAN PABLO, CALIFORNIA. A

SLATE-CLEAN ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 473,033, dated April19, 1892.

Application filed September 22, 1891. Serial No. 406,514. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALFRED THURBER, a citizen of the United States,residing at San Pablo, in the county of Contra Costa and State ofCalifornia, have invented an Improvement in a Combined Slate-Cleaner,Eraser, and Pencil-Sharpener; and I hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to improvements in school-slate cleaners to be usedwithout the aid of water or moisture of any kind,in C0111- bination withan eraser of lead-pencil lines or writing and a lead or slate pencilpointer.

It consists of a square or other-formed block of wood or other materialand radially-slotted pieces of fur hat-felt or similar fur felt, to befastened to one or both faces of the block, and a piece of rubberfastened in one corner or side of the block and extending a third of aninch or more outward from the block; also,

of a groove in one side of the block to hold a piece of sand-paper,emery-cloth, or a small file, all for the purposes herein specified.

Figure 1 represents the block with the opening A in the corner toreceive the erasingrubber B and the groove Cin the side to hold thesand-paper, emery-cloth, or file. Fig. 2 represents the radially-slottedfur felt to be fastened to the face of the block to clean the slate.Fig. 3 represents the erasing-rubber to be fastened in the corner of theblock at A.

The fur felt is fastened to the face of the block by glue or otherfastening. The slots radiating from the center of the piece of felt aidgreatly in removing the pencil-marks. The edges of the slots cut awaythe pencil, dust. By radiating the slots from the centen toward theperiphery of the piece of felt they furnish a large amount ofcutting-edge in proportion to the surface of the felt, which I claim isof great value in the. slate-cleaner, and at the same time the feltretains enough pencil-dust on its surface to scour the surface of theslate clean. Three-fourths of the slots act as cutters of thepencil-marks in any direction the cleaner may be moved across thesurface of the slate. The surface of the felt is to equal in extent theface of the block to which it is fastened, thereby enabling the user toremove single figures, letters, or lines with the corners or edges ofthe felt without injury to the rest of the work on the slate. The rubberin the corner is always convenient to erase lead-pencil writing orlines, the block serving as a handle. The angular groove in the side,containing the sand-paper, emerycloth, or file, enables the pupil toobtain a sharp point to a lead-pencil or slate-pencil, when desired,- byplacing the point in the groove and sliding the pencil back and forthwith the pencil in line of direction with the groove.

That I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, in a slate-cleaner, of the block and theradially-slotted fur felt and the rubber eraser, substantially as setforth.

2. The combination, in a slate-cleaner, of the block with the grooveholding the sandpaper, emery-cloth, or file, the rubber, and theradially-slotted fur felt, all substantially as set forth,and forthepurposes herein specified.

ALFRED THURBER.

